Netanyahu holds first White House talks with Trump since Iran war began
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WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday (Jul 28) for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, with the Israeli leader saying they discussed ensuring Tehran does not acquire nuclear arms.
The closed-door talks - which the White House described as "positive and productive" - lasted for about an hour and a half and came as Netanyahu and Trump sought to patch over public disagreements on the war.
Netanyahu said in a video message after the meeting that it was "one of the best conversations I've ever had with the president of the United States" and that it touched on "our common goal: Ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons".
The Iran war began in late February with US-Israeli strikes but has seen a recent pause in the fighting, with Washington saying it wants to give negotiations a chance.
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Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Tuesday they targeted a Saudi oil tanker, the NCC Ghazal, in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles for violating a blockade on the kingdom's ports announced by the Iran-backed group.
Saudi Arabia had yet to comment on the Houthis' claim, but reported having intercepted drones targeting oil facilities in its east, blaming pro-Iran militias in Iraq.
Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed.
The meeting was the eighth between the two leaders since Trump's return to office in early 2025 and came ahead of key electoral tests later this year for both Netanyahu and the US president: national elections in Israel and midterm polls in the United States.
Netanyahu's office said he attended a private memorial dinner in Washington on Monday evening in honour of the late senator Lindsey Graham. He also went to a memorial service for the staunch ally of Israel.
Relations between Trump and Netanyahu reached a low point in April during negotiations on the ceasefire with Iran, with Trump unleashing profanity-laced tirades against the Israeli premier.
Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a "very difficult guy".
Netanyahu downplayed the exchanges as "tactical disagreements", saying they were aligned on the goals of the war.
"NO BREAK" IN TIES
On Tuesday, the leaders were expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose application on the ground has been challenging.
The talks were also expected to touch on Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to kick-start the devastated Palestinian territory's reconstruction are at a standstill.
Nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, and Israel continues to regularly target people the military says are militants.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said Tuesday that Netanyahu's visit came at a "critical time for the Middle East", with Iran continuing "to choose terrorism over negotiations" and blocking the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.
Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the primary aim of the visit was to dispel reports of a cooling in ties between the allies.
"I think that the main issue ... is to show the world, to show Iran, and also even Lebanon and others... that there is no break or any kind of major disagreement between the United States and Israel," Freeman told AFP.
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